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A Story About Robert

Last June, Robert Nichols of Waterville was playing a round of golf, just like he had done hundreds of times before. But something was different this time. When he got to the fifth hole, his chest began to hurt, and he just wasn’t feeling well. Robert was having a heart attack.

Read more about the many other life-saving stories that take place every day at EMMC Heart Care.

About EMMC

Why Choose EMMC

EMMC is the specialty referral hospital for the northern two-thirds of Maine, providing leading-edge programs in cancer, surgery, and cardiac care, among many others.

Our passion is providing the best patient care possible with a focus on excellent service, clinical quality, and patient safety. A committed partner to our patients and community, we believe nothing should stand in the way of quality healthcare.

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Helen McKinnon, MS, RN

Function in the hospital: Helen guides the planning and daily operation of services that support the work done by clinical care staff throughout EMMC. Services like Clinical Engineering keep life supporting equipment operating at the patients' bedsides; Environmental Services does the important work of maintaining a clean and safe environment; the Safety Office and Security Department keep the medical center buildings and grounds safe for patients, families, and employees.

Helen is the executive sponsor for EMMC’s Modernization Project. In this role, Helen is leading the largest construction project in EMMC’s history. It’s an effort that creates modern, private patient rooms; renovates and builds operating rooms that better support EMMC’s expert surgeons and can accommodate future technology; renovates EMMC’s Women and Infants space; and consolidates our Heart Care services into one convenient location for patients.

The road to here: Having graduated from the University of Southern Maine in 1977, Helen McKinnon took a nursing position at EMMC in 1978, with the intention of working her way to hospitals further south. Over 30 years later, she is still here. Of particular interest to Helen is the importance of a healthy organizational culture at EMMC, acknowledging and supporting the delivery of consistent excellent care and service to patients and families every day.

What she's trying to do: Always finding ways to improve the patient's experience. "We can do that in a number of ways. All staff has to support our mission to care for our patients and families, our community, and one another. By giving employees what they need to do the best job they can, and appreciating the work they do, we'll have satisfied employees and patients.”

Guiding Principle: Nursing itself is at the core of Helen's perspective and response. "The years of working in administration have only solidified my convictions about the value of the nursing perspective," says Helen. "The ethics that I bring to any discussion are those of a nurse, advocating for patients. I never stop being a nurse."